I'll Come For You
by ChibiStarChan129
Summary: Deet has been consumed by the Darkening. Rian has fallen for her, as she is the one who has kept him going all this time. He's not about to let her die.
1. The Promise

**Author's Note: I know a lot of people think it's weird that Rian fell for Deet after the death of Mira, but the events of the series probably happened over a longer period of time than it seemed. When watching it, it seemed like it all happened in a week, but most likely, it was over the span of a few months. The progression of Deet and Rian's relationship happened at a good pace, I think. Also, I'm pretty sure Mira would want him to find happiness as well.**

**With that said, here is my attempt at a fanfiction for Rian and Deet.**

**Disclaimer: Characters belong to the Jim Henson Co. & Netflix.**

* * *

Chapter 1: The Promise

I had nightmares every night after her death. Mira didn't deserve what the Skeksis did to her that day, and I… I didn't help her. I couldn't. I was too weak. But even so, I could have at least tried. All I did was sit there and watch as she pled for help. Guilt resided within me every second of every day after that. It was hard for me to keep going. Dreamfasting to show everyone what the Skeksis had done just caused me to relive that moment over and over. It was more painful each time.

I thought about giving up. No one trusted me at first, no one could console me. And then… I met Deet.

The night I met her was like a metaphor of what she did to me mentally and emotionally. I was angry. Frustrated. It was a cold night and I couldn't get a fire to light. I was alone.

"For the love of Thra! Light!" I yelled in frustration, not knowing there was someone else in the forest.

When Deet came along, I was afraid. Without second thoughts, I drew my sword to keep her away. Surely, she would turn me in. But no, she was completely oblivious. Her gentle eyes were reassuring. When she told me she wasn't afraid of me, it was comforting. And when she helped me to light a fire, I felt warm again. She sparked a fire within me, and that was hope. Within minutes, my mood changed - from frustrated and alone to calm and safe. Somehow this perky little gelfling was able to suddenly do this to me. It all ended too soon when she quickly left to save her friend. I still wanted to talk to her...

And then again, she came back into my life at the moment when I felt like I lost everything. My father sacrificed himself to save me. If no one had been there to console me at that time, I may have jumped into the Gobbles after him. Deet came along at just the right moment - I didn't know where she came from or how she found me, but she gave me the support I needed to move on when no one else could.

Later, as the four of us - Deet, Brea, Hup, and I - went on our adventure together, I began to realize that the reason I made it that far was because of Deet. The time when she embraced me after being rescued, the time when she stared at me over the fire as she sang... I knew when I was around her, I felt safe. Just like how I thought no one trusted me, she thought everyone saw her as weird because of how she looked, but I wanted to reassure her that I didn't think she was weird at all. She was different. And I liked that. Those big dark eyes had so much hope for the future that I began to believe in them too.

The Deet who I had put all of my trust in… The Deet who was always there for me when I needed her… The Deet who had stolen my heart… was now consumed by the Darkening.

As I stared into her purple-tinted eyes, veins running across her face, it felt like my heart stopped. I could tell by the expression on her face that she was fighting as much as she could. And then she turned to walk away from me, death following her with every step.

No, I wasn't about to sit back and watch this time! Not again!

"DEET!" My voice grew louder. I didn't know what would happen if I got near her, but I didn't care. My pace became faster as I started to run after her.

"G-get away, Rian!" Her trembling voice called. "I don't know h-how much longer I can fight it!"

"Come back with me, Deet! We'll figure this out!" I begged.

She continued to walk away.

"I'm not leaving you!"

With a sudden swift twist, she turned toward me. "AAAAUUUUGGGHHH!" Hands slamming to the ground, she sent a wave of purple energy toward me. With a jump, I rolled out of the way before it could hit me. She went back to walking deeper into the forest.

'_This isn't her anymore…_' I thought as I looked after her. '_No. There's nothing I can do to bring her back.'_

Face buried in my hand, I hesitantly turned back toward the village. With one last glance back at her, I made a decision and called out to her again.

"I promise I'm going to save you, somehow! I will find you again, Deet! ...when I have the answer. Just wait for me, okay?"

No response.

* * *

Everyone at Stone-in-the-Wood was celebrating, but I made my way back with a defeated look, dragging my feet in the dirt as I walked. There was no way I could celebrate with them. Not when the most important person to me was gone. Brea seemed to notice my devastation.

"Rian, where's Deet?" A look of concern was plastered on her face.

"She…" I couldn't think straight, still processing what had just happened. "She was consumed by the Darkening."

Brea gasped, "Wh-what? But…"

"I-I'm going to save her! I promised her!" I declared shakily, my eyes not focusing in any particular direction. Brea put her hand on my shoulder for comfort. She ushered me to go inside and rest.

"While we try to figure this out, why don't we go inside? I don't think you can do much in this state," she insisted. As much as I wanted to save Deet, I thought that she was probably right. I just got finished with a battle with the Hunter, what I needed was to rest. But even though I was mentally and physically exhausted, how could I sleep? I was in a state of uneasiness. However, I decided to do as Brea suggested and with that, left the crowd of celebrating gelflings to rest and prepare to go after the gelfling whom I loved.

* * *

I woke up early the next morning. I must have immediately passed out from complete exhaustion. The first thing I thought of when I woke up was how I was going to save Deet. The town was quiet, early that morning - a contrast from the day before with the battle and the celebration. The morning rays of the sun shone through the trees as some of the early-bird villagers began their day working and cleaning the town. Immediately I caught Brea sitting outside on a log with a book, so I made my way toward her. She didn't notice me until I sat down next to her.

"Ah, Rian. You're awake." She spoke, lowering her book to look at me.

"Yeah. I want to figure out how to help Deet… As soon as possible."

"Yes, I've been doing some reading to figure out how she was able to absorb the power of the Darkening like that." She replied.

"I know where she got her power from. The sanctuary tree… it said something about energy."

Brea's look was that of contemplation. I continued, "The tree said energy cannot be destroyed. It can only be transferred. Maybe that could help somehow?"

The two of us sat in silence for a minute and did some thinking. Suddenly, Brea lit up. "What if we transfer the energy of the Darkening from Deet into something else?" A spark of hope lifted my spirits when she said this. My head rose in complete attention as I listened to Brea's idea.

She held up a crystal shard. "What is that?" I inquired.

"It was inside the Dual Glaive! The prophecy wasn't about the Dual Glave, but this shard! I think it's part of the Dark Crystal!"

My eyes widened, as she elaborated.

"The emperor was using a small piece of a crystal in his staff to carry the power of the Darkening. Maybe we can transfer it from Deet to this crystal shard? That's what I was reading about! The crystal is a conductor of energy!"

"That makes sense! Well… let's go find her then!"

"It's not that easy, young gelfling." Aughra interrupted. Not to far off, she had been listening in to our conversation. The two of us jumped, a bit startled.

"Oh, Aughra. I didn't know you were out here too." I said.

"Transferring dark energy has its dangers. Look at the Emperor for instance. That ugly piece of scrap on his face isn't just for decoration. It's to hide the effects of the Dark Crystal. He plays around with that dark energy and that's why he was able to transfer it to his staff."

Brea murmured, "Well… that makes sense."

"And that's not all," Aughra added, "If you transfer all of that energy out of her, she may die. I was surprised that her absorbing all of that energy didn't kill her!"

I flinched at the mention of Deet being killed. "There's got to be something we can do!"

"You need to return to the Heretic and the Wanderer."

I sighed in frustration, "What? Again...? We don't have a lot of time! Deet is still out there!"

"Do you want to save her or not?" Aughra grunted. "There, you have a friend who can control that energy-transfer slowly and at a good pace without killing gentle Deet. Someone who is not alive, so cannot be hurt!"

"Lore!" Brea exclaimed. "If we tried to do it ourselves, we might get infected too and we wouldn't be able to control it! But Lore isn't alive, so there would be no danger!"

"Yeeesss!" Exclaimed Aughra with approval.

Hopping up with anticipation, I yelled. "Then, let's go!" I felt a great weight lifted from my shoulders as I began to run toward the landstrider pen, Brea by my side.

_'I'm coming Deet. I promised you I will come for you...'_

* * *

**I'm not really sure how they will save Deet in the second season, so I'm making it up for the time being, even if it doesn't make sense or isn't accurate, haha. I have no idea, I just want him to save her! I want them to have their tender reunion **


	2. Kill

**Author's Note: This fic is going to age like fine wine once the second season comes out, but oh well. It's hard to figure out what to write for them because the development of their relationship took place during a chaotic time lol.**

**Disclaimer: Characters belong to the Jim Henson Co. & Netflix.**

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Chapter 2: Kill

The world above was so unfamiliar to me, but I wanted to keep an open mind and positive attitude. Although I felt lost, I was amazed by the beauty and wonder of the world I had never even known. In the beginning, I realized that the other gelfling were not as friendly as I imagined. It didn't matter what I did, they just couldn't see me as one of them and I just couldn't understand it. I wasn't prepared for that. No one ever told me how unfair the world above was, and so I started to feel down on myself. Was I really that weird? Or maybe I was weird all that time, and I was just now realizing it. Thankfully, I had Hup there to support me when I went through these struggles. Hup even tried to warn me about the attitudes of Gelfling clans, but I was naive. Even so, I ended up meeting new friends along my journey - Brea and Rian. Both were gelfling of different clans. They lived very different lives, and yet, they didn't treat me like I was weird. Even though I missed Grot, nothing would make me regret meeting the three of them.

It wasn't until later that I began to notice a feeling I had never felt before... and that was only when I was around Rian. At first, I didn't think much of it. He cut in front of me in line to see the Maudra of Stone-in-the-Wood, but when I met him in the forest later that night, I was just happy he actually talked to me. He seemed like a different person from when I saw him earlier. While I helped him with his fire, I was relieved to be able to speak normally with another gelfling for the first time since I left Grot. However, as time passed, I started to experience a tingle in my stomach when I was around him - especially when he would look into my eyes with that soft gaze. I first noticed it when we sang the song for the All-Maudra over the fire. As I sang with everyone, my attention turned to Rian only to find him gently staring back at me with an almost dreamy look. No gelfling had ever looked at me that way before.

I appreciated that Rian seemed to be interested in learning more about me and my home when I was feeling homesick. That meant a lot to me, since no one else ever asked me about… well, _me_. The more he looked into my eyes, the more my heart fluttered and I just couldn't look away. Each and every time we spoke, I couldn't help but stare and feel a warmth I had never felt when I was in Grot. It was different from the warmth I felt when I was with my fathers and brother. And then somehow, before I even knew it, it turned from an innocent friendship to something a little more - something I couldn't explain. We became increasingly dependent upon each other as we left to find the Dual Glaive. When I was in trouble, Rian would be there for me, and vice versa. His presence became increasingly comforting to me. I believed in him with all my heart.

When we were alone together at Stone-in-the-Wood while waiting for the resistance, he suggested to me what life would be like after all of this was over. What it would be like... together. And when he took my hand, I was completely captivated by his warm gaze and gentle words that I almost forgot the visions I had seen when I was granted the Sanctuary tree's power. I wanted so badly to return Rian's sweet sentiments… but I had to remember my place in all this. The future had something in mind for me, I just knew it. There was a darkness within me and there was no way I could endanger the one who meant so much to me. I could never hurt the gelfling I... I had fallen in love with.

* * *

As I was being consumed by the darkening, I knew right away that I needed to leave. I did my part to protect my friends from the Skeksis. Everyone cheered all around me when the Skeksis ran off, but it was almost inaudible to me, as the center of my focus was my hands. As I stared down at my purple-veined hands, I understood there was no avoiding it - I was already completely infected. All I could do, then, was get as far away as possible. I was losing consciousness. There were dark whispers in my ears, my vision began to blur. I felt myself losing control of my own thoughts as it filled with visions of death but I tried fighting it as much as I could - at least until I could get far enough away from everyone. Each step I took was a task. The further my feet took me into the forest, the quieter the world became. The lonelier I felt. Then, the only sounds were my footsteps crunching on the dead grass as I walked and the snapping of trees as they shriveled. Wait… the grass I stepped on was dead? And weren't those trees just alive a second ago? No… Everything around me was dying?! I wanted to cry. I didn't want to kill.

Only vaguely could I hear Rian's voice calling my name, but I wasn't sure. I didn't know anymore. Who was Rian…? What did he mean to me…? No use. I couldn't remember anymore. It didn't matter. I just needed to keep walking. That's all I knew.

* * *

The three suns had set behind the trees as I walked through the darkness, the cloth from my dress dragging on the ground. The night creatures came out from their shelters to enjoy the peaceful night; however, every small creature that came near me sensed the death that surrounded my presence, and quickly scurried away. I continued on in complete solitude, not knowing where I was going. Not knowing anything. Who knows how long I had been walking. From the stillness, a scuttling noise emerged, gradually growing louder and louder. The scuttling drowned out the silence all around me until there were countless beady eyes in the distance. I didn't react, as I could no longer think about anything. I could only observe passively. It was as if I was living in a dream state.

When the scuttling came close enough, I could see crab-like creatures appear from the blackness. Not much time passed before I was completely surrounded by the strange creatures. I paid no heed as one grabbed me and stuffed my shell-of-a-body into a cage. Even if I _could_ consciously think at that moment, I probably would not have resisted. There was nothing to do and nowhere to go. I had done what I was destined to do - protect my friends - and at that point, I could no longer be with them. There was nothing left for me to lose. Not that I even remembered, anyway.

* * *

"What have you brought me, Garthim?" The booming voice of the Emperor inspected.

The "Garthim" tipped the cage over and I was poured onto the floor. I only sat where I landed and stared ahead as if paralyzed. The place was huge and somber. A dark purple crystal being the focus of the grand chamber. I had seen it somewhere before, and while I could see glimpses of it in my head, I had no memory of what it was or where I had seen it.

"Gelfling…?"

The other Skeksis gathered around to observe, but then immediately scampered around in an uproar once they saw my lifeless figure. Their unpleasant screeches stabbed the air, penetrating my ears and echoing throughout the chamber.

"Hideous gelfling!" One squealed.

"That's the one who killed the Collector!" Another squawked.

"We should drain its essence!" Cackled a third.

The crafty-looking Skeksi pulled the Emperor aside to whisper in secret as the others panicked. Their looks were that of terror. They were afraid of me. Backing away, the Skeksis kept their distance from me as I continued to sit in comatose state with Garthim closely watching.

"No!" screeched the Emperor. "This gelfling has the power of the Darkening within her. We shall keep her."

"WHAT!" cried the other Skeksis. The crafty one standing by with a smirk.

"This gelfling is friends with the others. We can use her as our attack - the gelfling won't see it coming. She is their weakness!"

"Aaaaah!" All of the Skeksis looked around at each other with nods and nasty grunts.

The Emperor continued. "She will help us wipe out all the gelfling! And we will be on top again!"

"Very smart, Emperor!"

"Yeeeesss!"

"We will have all the essence to ourselves!"

"Ehehehee!"

Their disgusting noises filled the room. What were they talking about? "Friends with the others?" Who? I didn't know and I didn't care. The whispers in my head only knew death.

The Emperor drew closer to me and circled around as he spoke. "Yes, Gelfling. The power of the Darkening is within you and it came from my staff. _I_ am in control of that power in you. _I_ am your master." He held out his claws and suddenly, I felt the need to stand up. There was a cardinal sensation rising within my very being and my mind grew even more foggy as I looked into the Emperor's eyes. He pointed his staff to the sky.

"Go. Find the gelfling." My wings spread on their own volition. The Emperor began to growl in a low and menacing tone. "Kill them."

Abruptly, my wings sent me into the air and out of the Crystal chamber. Within seconds, I had reached the balcony of the castle and then throwing myself off the edge, I advanced into the night sky. I let the sudden impulse lead me as I cut through the sky. There were no thoughts running through my head about where I was going or what I was doing. All I could hear was a reverberating word travelling through my mind over and over...

"kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill."

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**I apologize that this chapter is so short! I needed a bridge into the next part.**

**I'm having such a hard time with this fic lol! It's so weird to write Deet's P-O-V in such a blank state. Please let me know your thoughts or ideas!**


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